Inquiry Mini Lessons: Thinking it Through

In Introduction to Inquiry Based Learning, Neil Stephenson identifies eight elements of strong inquiry-based practice. In my mini lessons for my high school English students I want to incorproate these elements into our study of  Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. My main goal is to use technology and promote inquiry that will make the reading and study of the piece of literature more relevant and engaging for my students. I want them to use their voices to show what they learn through this experience and I want to incorporate the eight elements from Stephenson's article.

Standards:
ELACC9-10RL6: Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature.

ELACC9-10RL9: Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a specific work (e.g., how Shakespeare treats a theme or topic from Ovid or the Bible or how a later author draws on a play by Shakespeare).


1. Authenticity

I want students to see the reasons that Julius Caesar is important for them today in today's world. I would use anchor questions such as: What truths concerning loyalty and power from Julius Caesar are still relevant in our society and world today?

2. Deep Understanding

I want students to know where Shakespeare got his information in writing the play and how they can research how that information applies to leaders today or in recent history. What happens when one person has too much power? How is our government set up to prevent one person from having too much power?  What does that mean for me as a citizen in today's world? They can take these deeper understandings and apply them to other situations.

3.Performance of Understanding

I want students to have some flexibility of their performance that shows their understandings of the concepts and goals. I think and interactive website for their findings and research and more importantly for their expression of their own voices in addressing the questions would allow them to collaborate and extend beyond the classroom.

4. Assessment

I want to engage them in reflecting through this whole process, so I plan on using reflective journals and self assessments. Also, to define the completion of goals and track progress through the process, I will use rubrics.

5. Appropriate Use of Technology

Students will use Chromebooks and Ipads for making their websites and for doing any research. They will also use various online tools to make polls or interactive components for their websites.

6. Connecting With Experts

Students can use the Folger Shakespeare Library online to connect with experts and also use online information from various current resources to look at issues of today.

7. Student Success
I can set goals for the students and I can also help them set goals and reflect upon meeting these goals. These goals will be clear and easily recognizable so that students have a clear picture of what success in this inquiry will look like.

8. Ethical Citizenship
Because the main focus of this inquiry is loyalty and power, I can see many opportunities for a study of ethics to extend from this exploration and it can be exhibited on their performance or product. As far as ethical use of photos, articles, websites, this inquiry provides the perfect opportunity for

Inquiry Learning: How I See It

Inquiry learning encompasses many facets of letting go with students by setting them free in a sense, but continuing to guide them toward goals. I see teachers as mentors and facilitators as students create answers to their own questions that engage them and spark a natural curiosity concerning various subjects rather than simply consuming information. I think it is important to guide them as they discover who the experts are and even more importantly who they are not. It is a learning journey for our students and for us. They can continue their journeys anytime and anywhere on any devise, but they need guidance. Diana Laufenberg uses the term "praiseworthy failure" and I think there is power in allowing a student to learn from mistakes. As mentors, teachers can be there to guide them when they fail- guide them through the evaluation of "where things went wrong." What a powerful experience we will be giving our students!

Goal Reflections

My goals for the course Information Fluency and Inquiry are:

- hone my skills in developing a classroom that incorporates Inquiry Based Learning 
-build my PLN in an organized and accessible way
 -refine the tools I use and methods I use to teach research to my own students in my high school English class

I have to say that I need to devote more time and energy to the first goal on Inquiry Based Learning. I think that as the course progresses, I will encounter more assignments that help fulfill this goal. I have a book I purchased that is on my to read list:Comprehension and Collaboration: Inquiry Circles in Action by Harvey and Daniels.  

As for building my PLN, I have been an avid twitter user for several years now, but my goal is more on curation and organization. Learning to use Symbaloo to organize resources has been a huge help.  Also, I am using Rebelmouse and Paper.li for the first time. I want to compare the two of them and will most likely stick with the one I like the best. 

All of the assignments and activities for this course thus far have helped me to be more mindful of how I use various tools and methods to teach research in my classroom.  I have read so much and gathered so much information, that I know how my own students feel now. It is a process that I believe I will continue to build upon, reflect, and then rework constantly. I want to stick with these goals and continue to have the growth mindset to move forward with them.